The Neville Brothers
@ The Fine Line Music Café, November 18, 1997


The Neville Brothers
The Fine Line - 11/18/97
Photo © 1997 by Tom Asp
All rights reserved
Trying to classify the Neville Brothers music is like trying to catch a butterfly - pretty hard to do - and why would you want to try in the first place. There is R&B, soul, pop, rock and roll, funk, reggae, calypso, blues - they are all over the musical spectrum. This was a syncopated, driving, riveting, New Orleans funk with propulsive grooves made for dancing or at least just having a good time. "We were trying to do something different," confides keyboardist Art, the eldest of the brothers. "We're singing about what we've always sung about: love, justice, and waking up to the fact that we're all human beings on the same planet." The band was in a solid groove all night.

And what about Aaron's voice? No one has a voice quite like Aaron Neville with that classic, tremulous falsetto. When he sang "Drift Away" it was just mesmerizing! He did several slow ballads about half way through the show for a nice break but the audience was antsy to get up and dance so when the band bust into "Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself" the audience just exploded.


Aaron Neville
The Fine Line - 11/18/97
Photo © 1997 by Tom Asp
All rights reserved
Cycril, the youngest of the brothers, did an interpretation of Dylan's "The Times They Are A Changing" (which will be on his new solo album). It was a slow/alternative rock version that Dylan would have appreciated. There was the popular medley of "Iko, Iko" "Do You Want To Dance," "Jambalaya" and a calypso number that really rocked the house. Towards the end of the show Aaron sang a sweet semi-acoustic "Amazing Grace" accompanied by just guitar and keyboards. The band finished with the popular reggae song "People Get Ready" that had the entire audience up on their feet yelling for more.

Brother's Art on keyboards, Charles on sax, Cyril on vocals and percussion and Aaron on vocals, accompanied by a superb band, weaved a vibrant musical tapestry lined with funky rhythms and threaded with colorful hot & spicy Creole lyrics & grooves. With individual recording careers that span 40 years and together as a family group for the past 20 years the Neville Brothers are always wonderfully entertaining and have come to epitomize the heart and soul of today's New Orleans rhythm and blues.

For a detailed and interesting history of the group check out their web page:
http://www.nevilles.com/home.html

Mailbox E-mail Ray Stiles at: mnblues@aol.com

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Copyright © 1997 by Ray M. Stiles
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.